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On May 24, the Treasury Department designated nine individuals and entities that were procuring "export-controlled, U.S.-origin goods for sanctioned Iranian airlines." The sanctions also targeted procurement networks based in Turkey. "The deceptive practices these airlines employ to illegally…

On May 23, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued six conditions that must be met by Europe for Iran to remain in the nuclear deal. He demanded that Europe secure “a resolution against the U.S. violation” of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan…

On May 23 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the State Department Budget for 2019. The hearing came days after Pompeo unveiled a new strategy to counter Iran after the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. "We will apply unprecedented…

On May 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for foreign forces to withdraw from Syria at a press conference with Syrian President Bashar al Assad. Russia's envoy to Syria clarified Putin's comments the next day, saying they applied to Turkish, U.S., Iranian, and Hezbollah forces. The Russian…

On May 22, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned five Iranians for providing ballistic missile-related technical expertise or transferring weapons to the Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite movement that has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. The five individuals were associated with…

European leaders questioned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's reasoning for the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and his call for a new, all-encompassing Iran deal. "Secretary Pompeo’s speech has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA has made or will…

Iranian leaders rejected outright Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s demands for dramatic changes in Tehran’s foreign policy and nuclear program. “It is in no way acceptable that a man who had been working in a spy center for years tells Iran and other countries what to do,” President Hassan Rouhani…

On May 21, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined the Trump administration’s new strategy for dealing with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal. He warned Iran that the United States will apply military and economic pressure, including the “strongest sanctions in history,”…

On May 16, the U.S. Treasury Department partnered with seven member states of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center to designate Hezbollah senior leadership, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. “Under the dictates of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF),…

Since 2013, Israel has launched more than 100 airstrikes against Iran’s forces and its allies in Syria. What’s happening?
Israel has long been wary of Iran’s power projection in the Levant, particularly in Syria. Ties between Tehran and Damascus have been close since the 1979 revolution, but the…

On May 15, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four individuals and one bank for moving millions of dollars on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to the Lebanese militia and political movement Hizballah. One of the individuals was Valiollah Seif, Iran’s Central…

Since the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the United States and Iran have engaged in rival diplomacy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his British, French and German counterparts during the course of several days. “The Secretary underlined that the United States and our European…

On May 10, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemning the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal and reimposition of sanctions on Tehran. "These acts constitute a complete disregard for international law and the United Nations…

In a poll conducted before the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, a majority of Iranians said they would support retaliation against the United States if it abrogated the accord. The IranPoll survey also showed that 92 percent of Iranians had no confidence that the United States would live up…

On May 10, the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) moved to disrupt an extensive currency exchange network that helped fund Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the elite unit responsible for operations abroad. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned nine…

On May 10, Israeli jets struck some 70 Iranian targets in Syria in response to rocket fire attributed to Iran. It was Israel’s largest attack carried out in Syria since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, according to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson. “We will not allow Iran to establish a…

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the nuclear deal was the top story in Iranian newspapers on May 9. The faces of President Trump, President Hassan Rouhani and E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini were featured on most front pages. The following is roundup…

On May 8, President Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. Israel and the Gulf states welcomed Trump's decision. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's decision as an "historic move" and praised his "courageous leadership…

Foreign policy and nonproliferation experts issued a range of reactions to President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal. Some critics of the accord thought the move was risky. "I would've preferred to see a US-E3 agreement first,​​​​​​" Mark Dubowitz, CEO of…

On May 8, President Trump withdrew from the landmark Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. Former President Barack Obama and other officials from his administration criticized Trump's move. "Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an…

Members of Congress were divided over President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal. Many Republicans and Democrats criticized the president's decision or at least regretted not being able to reach a supplemental agreement with European allies. U.S. diplomats had been quietly…

Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union reaffirmed their commitment to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the wake of President Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord and reimpose sanctions on Iran. "As long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments, as it is doing so…

On May 8, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal. In a televised address, Rouhani said Trump “is not loyal to international commitments” and that his behavior disgraces the American people. Rouhani said he has ordered the…

On May 8, the U.S Treasury Department issued guidance on how it will implement President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions. “Sanctions will be reimposed subject to certain 90 day and 180 day wind-down periods,” explained Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a…

On May 8, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. "The fact is this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will," Trump said in his address. "The agreement was so…

On May 6, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson traveled to Washington D.C. for two days of talks with the Trump administration on Iran, North Korea, Syria and other major international issues. He was due to meet with Vice President Mike Pence, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and others.…

On May 7, President Hassan Rouhani suggested that Iran could remain in the 2015 nuclear deal even if the United States withdraws. “What we want for the deal is that it's preserved and guaranteed by the non-Americans,” he told officials in Mashhad, the country’s second largest city. Rouhani was…

On May 3, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. He also clarified Iran’s position on renegotiating the accord or a possible supplemental deal. “Let me make it absolutely clear once and for all: We…

Two Middle East experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace, Elie Abouaoun and Sarhang Hamasaeed, discuss Iran’s evolving role in Iraq with Garrett Nada.
What are the major phases that Iraq has gone through since the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime? What has Iran’s involvement been during…

A majority of Americans support the Iran nuclear deal and think the United States should not withdraw, according to polls conducted by CNN, Morning Consult and Politico. But a CBS News poll found that many Americans don't know enough about the 2015 accord to say what the United States should do.…